WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall today reported that President Obama has signed into law a key spending bill that supports New Mexico’s two national laboratories, the Waste Isolation Pilot Project and a variety of key water-related projects.

“When we started this process several months ago, LANL was facing deep cuts to a key research center. The measure that has been signed into law not only prevents those cuts it provides strong support to the range of R&D initiatives performed at both laboratories, as well as the operation of WIPP,” Bingaman said. “New Mexico fared very well in this important piece of legislation.”

“Saving the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center at LANL has been a top priority, and today’s signing by the president means LANSCE will continue to play a critical role in preserving our national security and providing solid scientific research,” Udall said.

The 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill contains $20 million for upgrades to the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) – the only machine in the country that can do a series of diagnostic tests to ensure the U.S.’s nuclear stockpile is safe and secure. The White House had recommended zeroing out funding for these necessary upgrades. But the New Mexico senators fought for the funding, arguing that the one-of-a-kind facility was still needed.

The bill also contains $6.38 billion in stockpile stewardship for the National Nuclear Security Administration, much of which will be directed to Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories.

OTHER LAB RELATED FUNDING

LOS ALAMOS

$196 million for environmental cleanup

$97 million for Chemistry and Metallurgy Facility Replacement Project

$10 million for radiological facilities to conduct nuclear energy research

SANDIA

Inertial confinement fusion ignition: $458 million, including $16.5 million above the request for operation of the Z-Machine and the Omega facility, returning them to FY09 funding levels

MISC.

$750,000 Microgrid research initiative at New Mexico State University

$1.75 million Navajo electrification

$750, 000 for the Center of Excellence and Hazardous Waste Materials at Carlsbad for advance biofuels research

WASTE ISOLATION

PILOT PROJECT

$230.34 million for WIPP

“This law funds water projects large and small — from the Navajo-Gallup pipeline to acequia rehabilitation,” Bingaman said. “In an arid state like ours where every drop of water counts, these investments are extremely important.”

“This new law will allow us to make significant investments at WIPP in Carlsbad to make sure we have a safe facility, more needed environmental cleanup and job security for employees working there,” Udall said.

WATER FUNDING

Albuquerque Title XVI Reuse Project — $250,000 for continued support of the City’s water reuse and recycling project.

• Animas-La Plata Project — $49,608,000 to continue progress on the project components that benefit New Mexico, including the Navajo Nation.

• Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program — $160,000 for continued data collection relating to ecological health in the Middle Río Grande.

• Carlsbad Project — $3,541,000 — for continued operation of the Carlsbad irrigation project in the Pecos River Basin.

• Investigations Program — $47,000 for planning associated with improved water management in the Pecos and Canadian River basins in Colfax, Mora, Harding, San Miguel, Quay, Guadalupe and DeBaca counties.

• Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System — $1 million for design and construction of intake structure at Ute Reservoir for the Ute pipeline project.

• Jicarilla Apache Rural Water Project — $3 million to continue to repair and replace the drinking water delivery and wastewater system on the Jicarilla Reservation.

• Middle Rio Grande Project $22,684,000 to continue work on project operations relating to water delivery and continued participation in the Middle Rio Grande Endangered Species Act Collaborative Program.

• Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project — $3 million for planning, design, and construction of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, including the Cutter Lateral Regional System and the Gallup Regional System.

• Navajo Nation Investigations Program — $190,000 to support water supply planning efforts within the Navajo Nation in cooperation with other agencies.

• Pecos River Basin Water Salvage Project — $201,000 for continued removal of invasive plants and for an analysis of the effects of such removal.

• Rio Grande Project — $4,791,000 for the ongoing operations of the Rio Grande Project which benefits the Elephant Butte Irrigation District in New Mexico.

• Southern New Mexico/West Texas Inv. Program — $142,000 to analyze water supply options for irrigation and municipal uses in the Las Cruces, El Paso and Juárez areas.

• Upper Colorado River Operations Program — $237,000 to support the ongoing activities relating to management of the Colorado River system which benefits the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and the San Juan – Chama Project which serves water users such as the City of Albuquerque and Santa Fe and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District.

• Upper Rio Grande Basin Investigations — $71,000 to support investigations involving the Rio Grande water supplies in coordination with the States of Colorado and New Mexico and other water users.

Rio Grande Basin, NM, CO & TX — $103,000 to improve water conveyance efficiencies and address ecosystem degradation and flooding throughout the Rio Grande Basin which includes over 160,000 square miles from Colorado, through New Mexico to Texas.